Another Shot
by Sue-Drae
Summary: Response to challenge. Zuko, Katara, and Toph get sent back in time to The Boy in the Iceberg after they receive training from the original masters of bending and try to win the war with Aang. Zutara, Taang, Sukka
1. Chapter 1

A/N:

First off, this is a response to a challenge. But, because I have terrible organizational skills, I don't have the name of the author that originally created the challenge, but I do have the challenge itself, which is as follows:

It starts with Sozin's comet. the invasion did not go as planned, Aang and sokka get killed. Zuko and Katara barely escape from Azula with their lives. The resistance is decimated by the fire nation, the only heroes left our Zuko, Toph and Katara. They Meet up an try to find a safe haven to train. The spirits approached them with an offer to go back in time. They accept an receive gifts of new powers along with master of all the old. The author can choose which new powers. They go back to the beginning right Before Aang woke up in the iceberg.

So, if you ever see an Avatar: TLA challenge that looks similar to the one above, please PM me or review the story so I can give the original challenger the proper credit. Until then, I'm just going to thank whoever it was for posting it. Sorry!

I don't own Avatar TLA

* * *

><p>Zuko groaned, trying to push himself up. At the movement, Katara gasped and began running to him, her hands already coated with water. She was stopped when a blue ball of fire crashed close to her feet. Azula's manic laughter filled the air as she shot a bolt of lightning towards the waterbender, who rolled away from it, her eyes still drawn to her friend as electric currents shook him violently.<p>

"I'd really rather our family physician look after little Zu-Zu, if you don't mind," Azula grinned manically, gathering lightning in her hands once more. Katara dodged once more, raising water from the fountain to help cover her escape. Bursts of fire shot from Azula's palms and Katara took shelter behind one of the many columns in the courtyard, wrapping her arms around her head to help protect herself from both the noise and the debris rocketing away from the explosion.

When the volley of fire ended, Katara stood, only now realizing that she had been kneeling, as Azula's jeering voice filled the air.

"Zu-Zu, you don't look so good," Azula taunted, not moving from her vantage point on the roof. Spotting Katara as she peered around the column to look at Zuko, the Fire Nation Princess shouted, "Hi-ya!" and released another attack. Katara ran out from behind the column just before it shattered from the sheer strength of the inferno.

Katara sucked in a breath of air before pulling water from the fountain and launching it towards Azula, only to find that she had already left, reappearing moments later. Azula flew towards Katara, propelled by the flames extending from her hands and feet, and the waterbender gathered more water from the fountain, running and freezing the water into a curling wave for her to ride away on.

Azula launched flames at the ice, too late to hit Katara. The ice evaporated on contact and Azula prepared another attack as Katara skated away. The waterbender soon ran out of water, tripping on the ground and landing on her knees above a grate. Staring into the grate, Katara saw a flowing river. Thinking fast, she rushed to the wall, pulling a metal chain away from where it hung under a lamp.

She lured Azula onto the grate, allowing her to get as close as possible before pulling the water straight up, freezing it where it stood, Katara and Azula enveloped within it. Exhaling and melting the ice around her immediate area, Katara looped the chain around Azula's hands, swimming around her and pulling her to the ground below and securing her to the grate before allowing the water to rush downwards.

Azula and Katara both fell forward on their knees, coughing and gasping for air. Katara reached over, pulling at the chains to make sure they were secure.

Katara then rushed over to Zuko's side, laying him on his back and pressing her water-coated hands to the new scar on his abs, healing it as best as she could for the short term. Zuko coughed and his eyes opened.

"Thank you, Katara," he said, his voice rasping.

"I think I'm the one who should be thanking you," she said back, smiling as tears of relief filled her eyes. The relief and happiness disappeared when Appa cried out in pain.

Katara tensed, her eyes turning to Azula, only to see the smoldering remains of the chains the Fire Nation princess had been bound in. Panic settled in Katara's chest as Azula's manic laughter once again filled the air.

"That was the best you could do, little waterbender?" her voice, now a taunting growl, echoed throughout the courtyard. "You have nowhere to hide, now… Nowhere to run off to…"

* * *

><p>Katara jumped awake. <em>It was just a dream, just a dream, <em>she told herself.

_Only it wasn't,_ the little voice of reason argued quietly.

She took a deep breath to steady herself, glancing around their temporary camp. It had been three days. Just three days since what peace and normalcy her life had held had vanished, snatched away before the 'Phoenix King' or whatever that power-hungry murderer called himself now. It was just last week that she had invited Aang to have some watermelon juice instead of training. She regretted that now.

_Aang._

It hurt. She expected that hurt to never go away. She didn't want it to go away. That would make her a monster, wouldn't it?

Katara briefly thought back to something Zuko had said on the way to fight Azula: _I'm not worried her. I'm worried about Aang. What if he doesn't have the guts to take out my father? What if he loses?_

Katara shook her head, trying to free herself of the guilt that had seemed to be tied with thinking of Aang. The truth was, he wasn't able to kill Ozai. He had lost. And Ozai made sure he had paid. Aang was gone. And he wasn't coming back this time.

She stood and began putting away their scant supplies before turning back to what was left of Team Avatar: herself, Zuko, and Toph. Suki and Sokka hadn't escaped the airships.

They'd need to keep going if they wanted to avoid capture from the Fire Nation, something considerably difficult seeing as the Fire Nation controlled all but the Northern Water Tribe at this point. Even the Southern Tribe was taken, according to a goodbye letter from her father, sent just before he had led what was left of the Water Tribe's warriors into what he knew would be a Sisyphean battle.

Shaking off the grief- she would dwell on that when it was safer- Katara put out the remains of their fire and began prodding Toph and Zuko, waking them up.

They packed up camp quickly and silently. Not a word was said as they climbed onto the eel hound Toph had managed to scam off of one rich merchant or another.

They were moving quickly through the Fire Nation, seeking shelter wherever they could find it. There was an unspoken agreement amongst the three of them: they would run, they would train, and they would fight to the end. They owed that to Sokka, Suki, and Aang's memory.

* * *

><p>"I wish we had Appa," Katara said, dismounting the exhausted eel hound.<p>

"I wish Zuko's father wasn't a bastard," Toph snapped. Katara tried to mask her hurt but the earthbender could feel it, even without her sight. But that didn't make her apologize. Toph scowled, storming to the opposite side of the clearing they were seeking shelter in, just next to the edge of a cliff, and erected a tent of rock, her back to Katara and Zuko.

Katara kept her silence for Zuko's sake. If she had lied, Toph would have announced it. If she had told the truth, the banished prince would feel ashamed and his hand would automatically move to his scar.

Glancing around, Katara's eyes lit with recognition.

"Toph!" she called, excited. The earthbender groaned.

"What?" she demanded, lowering the wall facing Katara. Katara grinned, not that the girl would see it, but couldn't hold back her happiness.

"We've been here before! Remember? The village on the river?" Katara said, pointing towards the floating town. Zuko walked over towards her to see it.

"I remember you impersonating a spirit, lying to us, making Appa sick, and almost destroying a whole village of people," Toph said, her serious tone fighting the smirk on her face.

"Wait- What?" Zuko asked, staring at Katara in a new light. She blushed lightly before getting defensive.

"Well, they were letting the guys at the factory ruin their lives! So, I kinda… helped. A bit," she said, still blushing. Toph laughed, a real laugh, for the first time in days.

"Yeah, destroying the factory is helping 'a bit'," Toph agreed, her tone sarcastic. Katara's blush darkened and she turned away, crossing her arms over her chest.

"I'm going to go get water," Katara said, glancing down at the clear blue waters of the once polluted river. "Anyone want to come?"

"Not a chance," Toph smirked, once again lifting her wall. Katara turned hopefully to Zuko, but the firebender tensed, whistling nonchalantly.

"Oh, very mature," Katara teased, pulling the cooking pot from their bags. "I'll be back, don't kill anyone. Including each other." Toph groaned comically and Katara turned away from the two with the ghost of a smile on her face.

* * *

><p>Kneeling at the river, Katara sighed, allowing her hands to dip into the cooling river as she thought of the last time she had been at the river's edge.<p>

_Thank you,_ the Painted Lady's voice drifted still in her mind. The memory always made Katara smile, even now, as she thought of the village she had helped when they needed it most. That was one memory she wouldn't change, even if she could.

_But what if you could?_ A voice drifted across the water, rippling as fog filled the air. _What memories would you change?_

Then, out of the fog, a beautiful woman stepped forward, a veil rippling behind her. The paint on her face caused Katara to bow her head immediately.

_Katara of the Water, I have been watching you and have decided that you are of pure heart. You have felt the sharpest of pains and loss but still retain hope and love for those you still hold dear. These are characteristics my siblings and I have long searched for, these past hundred years._

"Why?"

_This war may be over for you, and lost it is, but it will never be over for the spirits. Even now, when all we desire is peace and balance within the world and ourselves, our brothers are forced to grow strong or wither, just as the tides and just as your nations. _

"What do you want me to do? You've said it yourself, we've lost this war."

_Nothing is lost, not completely. I say it again, What memories would you change? Where you begin?_

"I- I think that first day, when we found Aang," Katara began uncertainly. "If we hadn't let Zuko take him- but then Zuko never would've turned good…" Katara realized. The Painted Lady smiled.

_Now you see my dilemma, Katara of the Water. You are of pure heart and full of love, but as much as it pains me to say, this war is too far gone to be won with love alone. There is strong enmity within all of the nations, you know some of it yourself. That is why the banished prince battled with himself for so long against his father. That is why you didn't first accept him when he truly changed for the better._

"Can't be won with love alone…" Katara repeated, thinking deeply. "Are you saying that I can't do this alone? I need someone else?"

_Precisely, _she nodded, smiling. _The spirits and I have been convened for many days on this, since I last saw you in fact. While we cannot fight the battles, we can strengthen you and then send you back, as you wished, to that first day._

"But what about- Are you saying Zuko will be coming with me?"

_And your other friend, the runaway._

"Toph?"

_Yes, child. You, Zuko of the Fire, and Toph of the Earth will become our hands in this war. We shall train you, if allowed, and then return you to that moment._

"But what if we need your guidance after that?" Katara asked. The Painted Lady's smile broadened and Katara realized that it had never left her features.

_All in time, Katara. Return to your friends and bring them here. I shall await your return. _Her voice drifted off as she vanished into the water without so much as a ripple. Katara stood frozen, staring at the water, before coming to her senses and running back up the rocky path towards her friends.

* * *

><p>AN:

First chapter down! *celebrates*

I'd like to say that, while this isn't my first fic, this is my first Avatar TLA ficso I'm really hoping for some constructive criticism.

Thanks for reading!

^.^ Susie ^.^


	2. Chapter 2

A/N:

So Another Shot was one of the three stories that made the cut. As promised, here is the next chapter. Hope you like it, even if I STILL don't own Avatar TLA :)

* * *

><p>"Why did you bring us here, again?" Toph asked irritably. Katara still had no idea how the earthbender had managed to fall asleep in the few minutes she had been gone, but that hadn't stopped her from waking her up.<p>

Zuko had been much easier to convince. It had been too long since he had seen her look so excited over anything. It was worth his attention and more to investigate further into the cause.

"Shh," Katara said, stepping towards the edge of the water. She knelt and exhaled deeply, dipping her hands in the cool water once more, hoping that the Painted Lady would reappear as she said she would.

A few seconds and Toph grew impatient.

"Can I go back to sleep yet?" she asked, crossing her arms in frustration. Katara was about to retort when the fog rolled back in and the Painted Lady appeared, a small smile on her face.

Zuko's eyes widened and he bowed his head politely. Toph only got more irritated, sensing the movement but not seeing the spirit. She opened her mouth to say something but the Painted Lady stopped her, chuckling in a melodious voice.

_Be calm, Toph of the Earth. There is much to be done and little time in which to do it,_ the Painted Lady murmured softly. Toph's jaw fell.

"I- I know that voice! But that was just a dream!" Toph exclaimed. Katara and Zuko looked to the spirit for an explanation. The woman smiled again, her eyes lighting up as she took in Toph's expression. She stepped down onto the earth but Toph's expression didn't change, her senses not picking up the intangible spirit.

_It was_, she agreed, turning to face all three of them. He face fell serious, the smile melting away. _As I've told Katara, the spirits and I have been convened for many years to discuss this war._

"The war's over, we lost," Zuko said a little bitterly. The Painted Lady's smile returned to her face.

_Nothing is ever truly lost, Zuko of the Fire. Just as you thought your mother was forever lost. However, that is a discussion for a later time, I believe. For now, I'm afraid I'll have to repeat my… request of you._

"Request?" Toph asked, speaking once again. The Painted Lady nodded at her, not that the master earthbender could see it.

_Yes, child. The spirits have been arguing for many years, ever since Sozin began this war and slew those of Air. It was only the reappearance of the Avatar that brought spirits back to our side. Many wanted to burrow away in the Spirit World, hoping that, when the next Avatar was born, they wouldn't begrudge the spirits. But that was not fated to be._

_You all- Katara of the Water, Sokka of the Water, Toph of the Earth, Suki of the Earth, Zuko of the Fire, and Aang of the Air- forced many spirits to rethink their views on humanity._

_It was you,_ she continued, smiling at Katara, t_hat allowed me to plead on your behalf. The last true heart we have seen belonged to Yue of the Water. We had hoped to put our belief in her, but she was too kind for her own safety. She revived the Moon spirit and joined with her, creating a bond the other spirits didn't dare to separate. Then you came, to this very village. You endangered both yourself and your mission, as well as the Avatar's mission, all to help people you had never met. You put aside your hatred of what the Fire Nation has become these last one hundred years and helped when Ozai's puppets couldn't be bothered. That is why we are allowed this transgression._

"This what?" Toph asked, the confusion rising in her voice. Katara glanced towards the blind girl.

"She convinced the spirits to train us and then…"

_Send you back, just before the fray._

"And that's supposed to mean?" Toph nearly growled.

_The spirits, namely Jikan, permit a… journey back._

"Back where?" Katara shook her head at Toph's question.

"Not where, when. Back to the day Sokka and I first found Aang, trapped in that iceberg. From what I understand, the spirits can't directly interfere in this war. So, to get around that, they're going to train the three of us until we can win this war with Aang, Sokka, and Suki back. Right?" Katara said, suddenly unsure as she looked up to the spirit. The Painted Lady smiled.

_Well said. Katara is correct. Spirits cannot directly interfere with humanity unless we ourselves are attacked in the Spirit World. If the Fire Nation figures out a way into the Spirit World, it will be too late for everyone. So, to circumvent that, the three of you shall be our hands in this war if you agree to it. We will train you into the ground but I can guarantee that our results will be well worth it. What say you, Toph of the Earth, Zuko of the Fire, Katara of the Water?_

"Of course," Katara said without a moment of hesitation. The Painted Lady smiled briefly before turning towards Toph.

"Eh, why not," she shrugged, yawning. The spirit turned to Zuko. The firebender was very obviously battling with himself.

"What is it?" Katara asked, concerned for the firebender who had quickly became one of her closest friends at the end of the war.

"It's just- Uncle," Zuko explained in a word. Katara's concern transformed into confusion and Zuko sighed. "What if-… I've changed," he said, his eyes glinting with determination and purpose. Katara nodded slowly.

"You have changed, Zuko. You've chosen the right path. That is all that will matter to Iroh. If anything, I'm sure he'll invite you to tea in an attempt to get some details out of you," Katara smiled wryly. Zuko's eyes lit dully and he nodded, now to the Painted Lady. She smiled in turn.

_That's wonderful,_ she smiled genuinely. _Now for the next step. Come into the water, all of you. I will take you to the safest place in this world, safer than a lion turtle's back, where we shall begin your training._

As Katara mulled over what was safer than a lion turtle's back, she walked into the water, allowing herself to sink into the cool river. Zuko followed a step behind, Toph holding onto his arm.

When all three were knee-deep in the blue water, the Painted Lady twisted her arms around herself gracefully. The water lifted up obediently, forming a bubble of air in which the group stood. Then, at no identifiable cue, the bubble began to sink, gradually at first but then faster, and faster still, forcing Katara to question how deep this river was. The outside of the bubble thickened into an opaque icy shell and the Painted Lady pushed it into an underwater cavern. She lifted it onto the ground and melted the ice away with a flick of her wrist, revealing the open sky framed by mountains, one of which was smoking lazily. They were in a valley lush with green and humming with gentle life. From their vantage point, they could see a crystal-clear lake with not a single ripple, reflecting the moon above.

"Where are we?" Katara asked, stepping away from the remains of the ice bubble. The Painted Lady smiled at her, becoming less transparent with each passing second as she seemed to drift into reality.

_This is my home, deep under the river._

"Under the river? But the sky…" Zuko's voice drifted off.

"You will notice many strange things here. It'd be easiest for you if you simply accepted their existence. Now, follow me." Hearing her truly speak for the first time, the three paused before obeying.

The Painted Lady led them through the valley on a path of irregularly shaped stepping stones. Just as the trees began to thin, Zuko and Katara paused, just now spotting a huge house just at the edge of the lake. The Painted Lady smiled at them patiently.

"You may look around later. For now, it is time to meet your masters."

"You mean you won't be training us?" Katara said, sounding disappointed.

"I shall be training you, young waterbender. I'm afraid my skills don't extend to the ways of fire and earth. Zuko and Toph shall be taught by my husband and my brother. It has been long since any of us have taken on an apprentice. So long that our pupils have taught humanity."

"You mean-"

"Yes, Zuko. I, Uisce, was the one to first teach the Moon how to bend, just as Rhyu taught the dragons firebending, as Awyr taught the sky bison, and as Cruinne taught the badgermoles."

"You taught the moon to waterbend?" Katara asked, her voice full of respect for the spirit. Uisce nodded, smiling. "That's amazing!"

"Perhaps from your perspective, yes. But, from my point of view, Tui was simply a talented student. I had hoped that she'd one day take over from me but she decided her destiny was to watch over those of Water in the mortal world with La."

A hint of sadness filled Uisce's voice but it was easily overpowered by the obvious fondness she held for her former apprentice.

Stopping at the door, Uisce ushered the three teenagers inside the house. There, standing in the living room, were three adults. Each had a distinguishing feature, such as Uisce's paint. The woman looked the most extravagant. She had swirling blue tattoos accented with a dark purple trailing up her arms, similar to Aang's arrows. Her long flowing hair, reaching just past her lower back, was a startling white with a single blue streak on her right side. She wore simple black pants with a loose yellow peasant top.

One man had fiery red hair just a little shorter than Zuko's and skillful tattoos of flames etched along the left side of his face. His eyes were black but glinted in the light, not dissimilar to coal. He wore a simple red tunic with black pants tucked into boots. From the way he was standing, Zuko and Katara could see the small flame embroidered onto his left sleeve.

The other man looked… rather ordinary. He vaguely reminded Katara of Haru but slightly stronger built. He wore similar clothing to her earthbender friend. He wore his brown hair long, just past his shoulders, pinned back with clips shaped like leaves. He had a moustache, accenting his strong jaw.

"May I introduce, our new pupils," Uisce said with a smile, gently pushing the three teenagers towards her husband and her siblings.

* * *

><p>AN:

Well, I'm back :)

Eh... Sort of.

ANYWAY, this is going to be listed as the third chapter long enough for the alert to get sent out that, "hey guys she _finally_ updated her story!" gets emailed out to everyone who alerted. Then I'll take down the POLL RESULTS chapter at the same time I upload chapter three which should be sometime in the next week or two. Don't quote me on that, though.

Till next time,

Sue ^.^


	3. Chapter 3

Don't own Avatar, yadda yadda yadda. Check out the A/N at the end for the real down-to-business stuff :)

* * *

><p>~Zuko and Rhyu~<p>

* * *

><p>Rhyu circled him appraisingly. After a moment of tension, he nodded.<p>

"He has potential," he announced to Uisce. She smiled at him.

"Well, I could have told you that," she said, rolling her eyes as she turned back to Katara. Zuko cracked a smile and Rhyu turned back to him.

"Don't get too relaxed, Zuko. The training you are going to undergo, assuming that I approve of you, has never been attempted by a human. None since the dragons have even began to learn these forms and even they never truly mastered them."

"I understand," Zuko said, his eyes determined. Rhyu smiled, the expression completely changing his features from hostile and threatening to warm and inviting in less than a moment.

"We shall see. First, place your belongings in any of the rooms down that hall," Rhyu said, pointing away from the main room. "Then join me outside. We will be working at the volcano today."

Zuko simply nodded, grabbing his meager supplies and slipping down the hall.

* * *

><p>~Toph and Cruinne~<p>

* * *

><p>"So, I hear you're pretty good," the man began. Toph smirked.<p>

"Learned earthbending from the badgermoles."

"Badgermoles learned it from me," Cruinne countered. "Earthbending?"

"Kickass," Toph boasted.

"Metalbending?"

"Easy." At this, Cruinne paused for a moment, studying Toph closely.

"Molten metalbending?" he challenged. Toph froze before thinking. Cruinne interrupted, laughing. "We'll be having some fun, you and I."

* * *

><p>~Katara and Uisce~<p>

* * *

><p>"I have studied your bending for some time now. You're quite good," Uisce complimented. Katara blushed, having been complimented by the master of all water, but fought it down.<p>

"There's always room for improvement," she said as clearly as she could. Uisce smiled at her genuinely.

"Exactly," she nodded. "When you've put your things away, we'll go to the lake to start immediately."

* * *

><p>After analyzing Katara's style for a while, Uisce stopped her, going the young woman in the clear water.<p>

"You have very good instincts, but you must begin to fight more like a firebender."

"What do you mean?" Katara asked, honestly curious.

"The way many people look at it, they see firebending as a very convenient skill. Not only is fire a very practical tool but it can also be formed out of thin air. Not many realize that you can do the same with water bending."

"You mean like this?" Katara asked, waving her hand in the air and drawing the water in the air to her fingertips until she had drawn a noticeable amount.

"You have the correct idea, but I intend to take it even further," Uisce said. As she finished, she drawn her hand out, drawing twice as much water as Katara in less than half the time and with a much smaller movement. "The faster and more efficiently you can draw water, the more useful all of your techniques and abilities will become. Because of that, you will be training until doing this is second nature, just as it is to a firebender. Now, let's begin."

* * *

><p>~Zuko and Rhyu~<p>

* * *

><p>"Are you going to give up yet?" Rhyu calmly shouted down to Zuko, sitting comfortably at the top of the volcano as he watched Zuko struggle to climb the mountain. <em>He's doing better than I'd thought he would… He's slowed down, that's certain, but he hasn't stopped yet<em>, Rhyu thought to himself. _He may just have what it takes to master fire._

Rhyu watched as Zuko stumbled, slicing his arm on a sharp rock. The cut wasn't too deep but it looked reasonably painful. Rhyu cleared his throat.

"You may stop, now."

"But I'm not at the top," Zuko said, breathing heavily. Rhyu nodded.

"You aren't ready to climb this volcano by in one stretch. When we have finished, you will be able to do it, but for now rest," Rhyu said, jumping down to meet Zuko. "When you are ready, we shall resume towards the top."

Zuko nodded, trying not to feel immense relief.

* * *

><p>~Toph and Cruinne~<p>

* * *

><p>"You can come out now, Toph," Cruinne said, sounding amused. Toph held back a blush, embarrassed at being caught.<p>

"How did you know I was there?" she asked uncertainly. Toph had been 'watching' Cruinne bend rocks into different shapes, intrigued with the amount of control he had over the stone and dirt.

"I can see like you," Cruinne said simply.

"I didn't know anyone could see like that," Toph said, coming closer to the spirit.

"You are the first human who can," Cruinne said. "Because of that sight, your seismic sense, you understand a lot about the nature of earth. That is one of the main reasons you can metalbend."

"Cool. Does that mean I can finish the training faster than Sparky and Sugar Queen?"

"I'm going to assume you mean Prince Zuko and Katara. And no, that does not mean that. You, while understanding your element quite a bit, have a problem that they will not have to encounter."

"I don't get it; what problem?"

"One of the strongest forms of earthbending is seizing control of magnetic fields and using them to your advantage," Cruinne said, pulling himself and the earth he was standing on away from the ground. Toph turned her head, her feet mimicking the action.

"Where'd you go?" she asked, bewildered.

"Reach out your hand," Cruinne ordered. Toph obeyed, her hand touching the earth.

"What the-"

"You face an obstacle that both Zuko and Katara avoid because of your blindness."

"But how am I supposed to learn if I can't do this?"

"There is a way you can do this," Cruinne said, lowering himself back down.

"What? How?" Toph demanded.

"We must turn to another element- water- for help. Using what Katara calls bloodbending, it is theoretically possible to heal your eyes and give you sight."

Toph ignored the 'theoretically' and continued.

"Wouldn't I lose the ability to see like-" she kicks the ground, "-this?"

"Not in the slightest. However, you will be forced to learn how to see, something you've never been faced with. It is alright to be afraid," Cruinne said gently, seeing the internal battle raging in Toph.

"What? I'm not afraid," she said unconvincingly.

"Yes, you are," said Cruinne. "And you are right to be. You may be about to change something that has been with you since your birth, something that has defined you. Also, it would change the way people look at you. They wouldn't see a blind girl in need of protection. Just think about it, if you don't want to do it then we don't have to. You can be a master without it."

* * *

><p>~Later That Night, Suppertime~<p>

* * *

><p>"We have estimated the time it will take for you to be ready," Uisce announced, looking at the three teenagers over the dinner table. Katara and Zuko looked up curiously; Toph was lost in thought, a strange expression on the outgoing earthbender.<p>

"How long?" Katara asked, glancing at Toph and Zuko.

"We have decided that, considering the state of affairs and how they stand at this point, it would be in everyone's best interest not to drag out this excursion for too long," Rhyu said vaguely. Uisce threw her husband a withering glance before taking over.

"The spirits have, unfortunately, given us a very strict window of time in which to train you. While this training would normally take six or more years, we will be forced to squeeze it into just over two in order to keep the other spirits, especially Jikan, happy."

"Who's this Jikan dude, anyway?" Toph asked loudly, her eyes staring sightlessly at the food on the table. Awyr chuckled.

"I believe the mortals have taken to call him… Father Time? Cronos? He is one of the most influential spirits in the spirit world. He is the one who will allow you three to return to your pasts; it is crucial to stay on his good side," Awyr explained, her gaze falling upon each young bender.

"I think I understand," Katara murmured before looking back at Uisce. "Master, do you think that Jikan will change his mind?"

"Hopefully he won't. As a general rule, it is best to take what you get on the first offer given. If an extra compromise or negotiation is given, Jikan will think it an insult or think that someone is looking for personal gain. No, it is best to back away. Also, if the situation on the outside grows much worse, he will likely give an extension."

"So we're supposed to hope things get worse?" Katara said, looking stunned. Uisce shook her head quickly.

"No, child. We are simply going to train. What happens on the outside has little to do with us at this point. In a matter of years, you will prevent this part of the timeline from happening, saving countless lives in the process. Every life that is taken, and has already been taken since you found Aang will be given another chance to live. Even the slightest changes alter the timeline. For example," she began, looking towards Zuko, "if you do not attack the Southern Water Tribe whilst looking for Aang, I'm sure your father won't be told of Aang's existence for quite some time. After all-"

"It was my stubbornness with Zhao that threw us into this mess to begin with, I know," Zuko sighed. Uisce looked surprised.

"I think my wife was trying to say that it was Zhao's determination to prove himself better than you that began this feud between the two of you. You may have been banished, but you were a prince nonetheless," Rhyu explained. Uisce smiled at him lovingly and Toph pretended to gag.

* * *

><p>AN:So, it took a while... Longer than expected... But I've finally updated something!~

This won't be the last update today; I've got a couple other things ready to get rolling and some that are almost good to go. For those of you who are wondering:

Tonight I SHOULD be updating: The Sea Traveler (Naruto), Eragon-Vraelson (Eragon), Another Shot (ATLA), Athena's Hearts (Doctor Who)

What SHOULD be updated by Monday: Thicker than Water (Eragon), anything else I decide passes inspection

Basically, I apologize to everyone who follows ME, because you might get a lot of NEW CHAPTER/NEW STORY emails tonight or this weekend.

BE ADVISED: Updates will not be running on a schedule. If I get a chapter in, I get the chapter in. My job has me scheduled for hella eight hour shifts for the next few weeks so I may be a tad irritable/exhausted/unwilling to write. Bear with me, please. I've got some new stories in the works that I'll have posted sometime soon. Some are one-shots, others short, and a couple that could turn into sagas of epic proportion. I'm playing this one by ear.

WHELP. I gots stuff to update and what-not.

Bye!

^.^ Sue ^.^


	4. Chapter 4

A/N: This is because chapter three was so short. Don't be getting greedy ;D

* * *

><p>~Four Months~<p>

* * *

><p>They already felt stronger. Each day Katara was pushed to swim to the other side of the massive lake without waterbending. Each day Zuko was pushed to get to the top of the volcano. Each day Toph was pushed to climb a neighboring mountain, no earthbending allowed. The physical exercise made them stronger, even though none of them could accomplish their tasks… yet.<p>

They worked on various things. Zuko was to learn control. Katara was to learn how to lose control. Toph was preparing for the procedure that would, if all went well, restore her vision.

The young earthbender had sworn to herself, years ago it seemed, that she was the greatest earthbender on earth. Now that she had been proved wrong, she felt her pride pushing her forward.

* * *

><p>~Zuko and Rhyu~<p>

* * *

><p>The rightful heir to the Fire Nation sat, meditating just at the edge of the molten rock. Each day, after pushing himself as far as he could to the top, Rhyu would force him to rest before taking him to the peak. There, they would go down a neatly hewn tunnel into the heart of the active volcano.<p>

Meditating amidst the flames was another daily ritual for Zuko. Rhyu instructed him to sit on one of the few solid surfaces and meditate until he understood the flames without assistance. Rhyu would keep the poisonous vapors created by the volcano away from his pupil but nothing more.

"Tell me, Zuko, have you figured it out yet?" Rhyu asked his student, once again burning off the sulfurous gas before it could harm the banished prince.

"Not all of it," Zuko said, his eyes still closed as his mouth set into a determined frown. "Each time I seem to understand something, it just slips away and I cannot do anything."

Rhyu nodded thoughtfully.

"Zuko, what does fire need to thrive?"

"Fuel," he said without hesitation. Rhyu nodded again, staring into the lava.

"Precisely. When you, or any other firebender, creates fire, you pour your own emotions into the flame. Your emotions feed the flame. The firebending you will have learnt from your human masters were simply the basics, relying almost completely on anger and hatred to fuel the fire. Any and everything beyond that requires almost if not absolute calm." Rhyu paused, turning back to Zuko as his student opened his eyes. "Tell me, why do you think that your younger sister always outmatched you?"

"Father said that she was born lucky, and that I was lucky to be born," Zuko said, the bitterness returning to his voice. Rhyu shook his head patiently.

"Your father was incorrect. Your bending was weaker because, unlike Azula, your fire wasn't fueled with hate for many years. She maintained dominance simply by throwing the concern of and for all others away while you allowed yourself to care."

"So I should stop caring?" asked Zuko, his tone serious.

"Not at all. At the end of this war, caring will have given you more strength than indifference or even hatred. Do you remember why your firebending weakened just after you joined the Avatar?" Rhyu asked Zuko nodded cautiously.

"Just as you had lost your purpose, you are slowly losing yourself in the guilt of your nation. You are trying to carry the blame of an entire nation on your shoulders, Zuko. You need to release what isn't yours' in order to reach the calmness required for firebending."

At the end of Rhyu's small speech, Zuko nodded, closing his eyes again. As he exhaled deeply, Rhyu smiled.

"Very good. Now, take control of the fire around you, and release it!" Rhyu ordered. Zuko obeyed, his eyes snapping open as he jumped to his feet. His hand twisted and he punched outwards, sending a large ball of fire forward. A small ripple pulsed through the lava as the fire ball brushed the surface.

He noticed, almost numbly, that the fire was now blue instead of its usual red-orange.

"Good," Rhyu smiled, a hint of pride in his eyes.

* * *

><p>~Katara and Uisce~<p>

* * *

><p>Uisce watched as her apprentice took a steadying breath of air before whipping her hands around her upper body in a swirling motion. Right on command, the water of the lake began to pulse before a large wave rose up, just in front of the young waterbender.<p>

She held the wave, panting slightly with the effort.

"Hold it," Uisce ordered quietly, walking towards Katara. She had gone just two steps when another, albeit smaller, wave came towards her. She smiled at Katara, now holding the larger wave with just one hand. Uisce glanced at her feet. The ice Katara was standing on was intact and holding, even with the diverted attention.

"Release it slowly," Uisce smiled. Katara sighed, slowly lowering the water so as not to create a large disturbance in the lake. A drop of sweat rolled down the side of her face as the wave was returned to its original location.

"You are improving," she complimented before looking at Katara appraisingly.

"I've noticed something," Uisce said, interrupting her pupil's concentration.

"What is it?" Katara asked curiously, wondering if there was something wrong with her form.

"Waterbending originated in the Northern Water Tribe, as you know," Uisce said, introducing her topic. "When the Southern Water Tribe branched off, they kept to the cold. Through years, water and ice bending have become so instinctual to you that many benders have forgotten the third."

"Third what?"

"I suppose you could say temperature. You have been comfortable bending ice and water, but have you ever tried to boil water?"

"You can do that?" Katara asked, surprised. She supposed it made sense, though, seeing as she could freeze and unfreeze water.

"Yes, and it is a useful skill. Warm water is easier to heal with. Steam can create a useful diversion if you need to make an escape. You can cook food without making a fire and alerting anyone to your location with smoke."

Katara's eyes lit with understanding and she smiled.

"Now, instead of smoothing the water into ice, you're going to... disrupt the flow of water. It is strange to explain, but it comes naturally. You put your own energy into the water to heat it, and the disruption you create sustains the heat.

Katara lifted a sphere of water from the lake, narrowing her eyes slightly in concentration as her fingers flicked towards the water. The water shuddered and bubbles gradually began appearing.

"That was good, for your first try. Now… Attack me!"

On command, Katara's arms rose up, closely followed by streams of water, the sphere of water falling into the lake. The water coated Katara's arms as she darted forward. She sent a water whip towards Uisce but the spirit only leaned to the left, the water completely missing her.

Flicking her wrist, Katara snapped the water back towards her master before the whip could retreat, freezing it into a blunt spear. Uisce simply held up a hand, allowing the ice to collide with her hand, melting back into water as the water bending master touched it.

Katara dropped her other arm quickly, aiming the water at her master's feet. Uisce danced away from the water, forming ice under her feet without thought.

"You are still overthinking your attack," Uisce mused. "Release your control on the water. The water _wants _to follow you, you don't need to force it into submission."

* * *

><p>~Toph and Cruinne~<p>

* * *

><p>Cruinne watched as Toph bended the metal sheet in front of her into various shapes.<p>

"Turtleduck," he ordered, watching his apprentice peel the right amount of iron away from the sheet before molding it in her hands.

The work was difficult for the blind girl. Her master was judging her creations based on accuracy to the real thing and, without having seen anything outside of earthbending, each detail was hard to replicate.

She lifted the lifelike model up to her teacher, hoping she had gotten it right.

"What's wrong with it?" Cruinne repeated to the young girl, waiting for her to get the length of the wings correct. Toph scowled but placed her fingertips against the warm metal once again, ready to perfect her statue without any idea of what she had done wrong.

* * *

><p>~That Night, Suppertime~<p>

* * *

><p>"So," Katara said, breaking the awkward silence, "How's your training going, Zuko?"<p>

"Hm," Zuko, exhausted by his training, said, shrugging noncommittally.

Katara sighed, used to the reply but still hoping for something different.

"Toph?" she asked, trying to keep the plea out of her voice. Toph scowled, turning her head slightly away from Cruinne. The earth bending master only grinned.

"She's just annoyed. Actually, she's doing better than I thought she would by this point."

"Thank you, O Great and Powerful One," Toph grumbled irritably. Uisce smiled softly.

"Easy," she soothed. "Katara shall very soon be doing the same thing with ice, if that is any consolation."

Apparently it was. Toph grinned as Katara shifted uneasily. The water bender turned to her master, an anxious look on her face as she took in Uisce's teasing eyes.

"Then again, she'll also have the visual aspect to all of her memories, so the task may be a bit easier," the spirit reasoned, chuckling softly as Toph's sightless gaze darkened angrily.

"Speaking of visual aspect, have you and Katara began with-"

"Not yet," Uisce interrupted Cruinne. "I'd like to make sure that she has a solid understanding of everything she needs before I can even think of such a procedure. Judging from where we stand, it will probably be five or six weeks before she's ready to even assist me with something of that scale."

"What's going on?" Zuko asked, yawning tiredly. Toph shifted her weight anxiously, spiking Katara's interest.

"It's not important," Toph said, quieting uncharacteristically. This was not left unnoticed but the young waterbender obeyed her friend's wishes and changed the subject.

"How are things on the outside?" she asked Awyr. It had been the lone airbender's job to travel to and from the nations, bringing news of the Fire Nation's progress as well as the status of the Northern Water Tribe, the only land free of the Fire Nation's troops.

"Not well," she reported easily. "Fire Lord Azula has begun her campaign north."

"Why is she taking things so slowly? The Azula I know would have struck as soon as they found out about Aang," Zuko said, his voice catching slightly when he mentioned his former student and friend. Awyr nodded slowly.

"She is searching for you. Very carefully. Fire Nation soldiers have been combing what's left of the Earth Kingdom for weeks. The Southern Water Tribe has been destroyed."

Zuko's eyes flashed carefully towards Katara. The waterbender tried to keep her composure but her facade was quickly slipping. Before it could disappear completely, she looked up at Awyr.

"Survivors?" she asked, her mouth a thin line.

"Few and far between. I have no word of your grandmother or father," Awyr reported, nodding sadly. Katara took a deep breath, leaning back in her chair.

"Remember why you are here, child. They are not lost to you let," Uisce said to her student. Katara nodded, almost to herself, before averting the subject once more.

"So Azula knows that we're still alive?" she said, trying to keep her voice light. Zuko's eyes darkened slightly with concern but she disregarded it as Awyr nodded.

"She's using all of her resources to track you all down. Especially you, Zuko," she informed the banished prince. He looked stunned.

"What?" he eventually managed to say. She turned to him with a wry smile.

"If you have a son or daughter before Azula, then your child would be the legitimate heir to the throne according to Fire Nation law. As would their children be the next rightful heir and so on. If Ozai and Azula do not end your line, their power will always be faulted."

Zuko regretted asking, blushing into his food as Toph laughed at his expense.

* * *

><p>AN:

Okay, done with this one for today. Next updates should be Monday night. If I don't remember - let's face it, I won't- PM me on Tuesday. I've still got chapters sitting in Google Drive but I don't want to overload anyone that follows me with update emails.

Bye!

^.^ Susie ^.^


	5. Chapter 5

~Ten Months~

~Katara and Uisce~

"Tell me, Katara. Why is it that you are so opposed to the technique you call bloodbending?" the waterbending master asked her pupil. Katara was occupying herself with her latest task to create a perfect life size statue of Appa. The work saddened her, reminding her of who she had lost, but she took to the task easily.

Her master's question snapped her out of her musings on the texture of Appa's fur and how best to portray it, frozen in ice.

She paused, thinking of how to phrase her response.

"It doesn't feel right, having that much... control over another person."

"Then my next question would be: is a spear a good or bad thing?"

Now Katara was slightly confused, turning from her ice to face her master.

"It isn't good or bad. It's just a tool."

"Exactly. What makes a tool heartless or giving is how it is used. A spear can be used to gather food just as easily as it can be used to end a life. Just as bloodbending is a tool. It can be used to stop blood loss on a wounded comrade, just as it can be used to control someone."

"So... You want me to-"

"Learn bloodbending. It is merely a tool. During these days of war, and days already past, you will need every tool, every advantage, every skill you can learn in the short amount of time we do have."

After a long pause, Katara spoke.

"I understand."

~Zuko and Rhyu~

"You have done well these past months, Zuko. Now I believe we are ready to step away from the basics and move onto more difficult forms," Rhyu said with a satisfied smile as he watched his apprentice meditate, surrounded by massive blue flames that grew and subsided with his every breath.

Zuko opened his eyes slowly, rolling his shoulders back as he stood, stretching his muscles.

"Thank you, master." He bowed his head before looking back at his teacher.

~Toph and Cruinne~

Cruinne watched as his student successfully dug a wide canal into the earth that led from the lake to a somewhat shallow crater. The water fell into the canal, leading the pure silvery blue water into the new pond.

"So this is for...?" Toph's voice drifted off into a question. Cruinne yawned to himself, glancing back at Katara and Uisce, barely visible as they sparred on the lake's otherwise still surface. Even at such a great distance, the massive waves of ice and water rising out of the lake were easily visible as the benders manipulated it.

Turning back at his student, Cruinne's eyes met the unseeing stare of the young girl.

"Uisce will be talking to Katara about bloodbending today. If things go well, and you still agree to it, the procedure will take place here," Cruinne said truthfully.

Toph kept her expression smooth until a small smile broke through her mask.

~Later that Week~

"Toph, are you ready?" the ancient waterbending spirit asked the young earthbender. The runaway took a breath before nodding in the direction of Uisce. Katara stood behind her master just as Cruinne stood behind Toph. Zuko and Rhyu, even Awyr, were also in attendance, watching quietly from the background.

"Let's do this," Toph said with an attempt at her usual bravado. Uisce smiled softly, turning her head to meet Katara's worried eyes.

"You are ready for this, child." Neither Katara nor Toph knew who she was speaking to, but both appreciated the sentiment. "Katara, warm the water."

Katara swallowed, lifting her hand towards the water. She concentrated for a moment, flicking her fingers towards it, and a thin layer of steam began to rise from its surface. Katara then stepped forward to stand beside Toph.

"What do I do?" Toph asked the waterbenders. Uisce nodded at Katara, who explained the procedure as simply as she could.

"You're going to go into the water until you can't reach the bottom. I'll make a bubble of air so you can breathe while Uisce and I heal your eyes. You won't drown but it'll feel like it until you get used to the feeling," Katara said, grabbing hold of Toph's hand. With a final nod from the earthbender, Katara began to lead the younger girl into the clear water.

Once in the water, a sense of panic rose in Toph as the water began to reach up and onto her face, threatening to smother her. Her panic ebbed as Katara's hand wove through the air in a fluid wave, forcing the water away from her friend's face. The resulting pocket of air reached up towards the sky at Katara's command, forming a constant supply of air for the earthbender.

Toph forced down her unease as the water continued to rise as she stepped forward, allowing herself to be submerged.

Katara did her job well, not needing to have much of a hand in the procedure that would, hopefully, give Toph sight for the first time in her life.


	6. Chapter 6

~One Year~

Toph opened her eyes, blinking at the light.

_Has it only been two months?_ she thought to herself, yawning as she sat up, glancing at herself in the mirror. It was strange, seeing herself in front of her, but she grew to accept it like every other new phenomenon. Stretching, she set off to the kitchen in search of breakfast.

Katara opened her eyes calmly, comfortable with the sun on her face. She smiled at the warmth, trying to prolong the time until she needed to get up and ready for another day of training and learning.

The waterbender continued on her daily routine, her mind noting just one detail.

_In one more year, they will be back. Suki... Sokka... Aang._

The pain that she had placed with Aang's fate was distant at worst. She had had her time to grieve, now she could fully enjoy the prospect of seeing the optimistic, if not naive, airbender again.

Braiding her hair quickly, Katara hummed as she walked out the door, ready for another day.

_One more year._

_That's all we have to train. After that... _Zuko's thoughts went to his sister, his father, and then to the fallen of Team Avatar: Suki, Sokka, and Aang.

_Uncle._

According to Awyr, the Dragon of the West had been defeated in Ba Sing Se just weeks after he had recaptured it in the name of the Earth Kingdom. The banished prince felt strangely detached from his father-figure's fate, but a new urgency entered his training. Now he was training for his uncle as well.

~Katara and Uisce~

"You need to relax your hold on the water," Uisce repeated. Katara took a deep breath, flicking her wrist towards her teacher. The waterbending spirit easily froze the wave that came towards her.

"Relaxed, not careless." Uisce studied her student carefully, judging the best way to move forward from this block. "I believe we should begin the next stage in your training."

"Master?" Katara asked curiously, her breathing heavy from training. Uisce nodded, a smile on her face.

"If Zuko and Toph are prepared, we will begin to train all three of you together to help you familiarize yourself with the others' tactics. When you return to the mortal world, you will rejoin the war in one way or another. It is for the best if you know how to fight effectively with one, both, or neither of your friends.

"However, we must wait until Toph and Zuko are prepared. When Cruinne and Rhyu believe that they are ready, we shall begin. Until then, we will continue to hone your abilities."

Katara nodded, taking a deep breath and slashing the air, sending a myriad of ice spears towards her mentor. The spirit halted them with her hand before melting and heating them rapidly, filling the air with steam. Then she smiled, leaning forward as Katara skated towards her on the water.

~Rhyu and Zuko~

Rhyu watched as Zuko struggled with his latest task.

Two months ago, Rhyu decided to teach the banished prince one of the highest forms of firebending: lavabending. Usually only achievable by the Avatars, lavabending required a much more fluid style of fighting than most firebending. The lava behaved more like water than fire, needing exceptional control to manipulate.

As Rhyu had explained it, it was only possible for the Avatars to control lava because of their training with waterbending. The modern firebenders, who generally believed that fire was the greatest of the four elements, wouldn't be able to lavabend if only because they didn't respect the waterbenders enough to study them.

Zuko lifted his hand into the air, trying to force the lava rippling in the heart of the volcano into the air. The molten earth shuddered slightly, a small wave rising up, but smoothed out once again. A bead of sweat rolled down Zuko's face and his breathing became ragged.

"Again," Rhyu ordered. Zuko, trying to keep his breathing steady, resumed his stance.

~Toph and Cruinne~

Toph closed her eyes, focusing her seismic sense. She could still 'see' as she did when she was blind, but the images became more distinct and easier to process if her eyes were shut. This dual vision was one of the things she had to master in their last year of training.

She and her master were playing a dangerous game of hide and seek. It was the job of one to find the other before being crushed in various and painful ways orchestrated by their target.

She ducked suddenly, narrowly evading the razor thin slab of metal swinging towards her. Somewhere in the distance, Cruinne laughed.

"I see your airbender friend taught you how to dodge," he teased, sending a rock wall towards his apprentice. This time, Toph stood her ground, punching the earth to dust as it came towards her. She opened her green eyes and smirked at the spirit, floating on a boulder above her.

"My turn," she grinned. She stomped the ground, sending pillars of earth and a cloud of dust to rise out of the ground, simultaneously attacking Cruinne and covering her escape.

Cruinne smiled to himself, watching his student immediately start to set up elaborate traps and strategies.

_It seems that Katara's brother has also made an impression_, he mused. His thoughts were stopped by a sudden shudder in the earth. He glanced to Toph only to see that the young earthbender disappeared.

An earth spear prodded the back of his neck.

Cruinne's smile widened.

~Dinner~

"Katara is ready for the next phase of training," Uisce announced as everyone sat down to eat. Awyr looked at the young waterbender appraisingly. Cruinne nodded his approval while Rhyu thought to himself.

"Toph is ready," Cruinne said, holding his arm to the light to show a good sized bruise. Toph chuckled at her handiwork. Katara's jaw dropped slightly.

"I can't even _touch _Uisce," she said, glancing between Toph and the bruise. Uisce smiled softly.

"You have once or twice, child. And that is a great accomplishment. If I am to judge, your waterbending is perhaps the strongest in the Mortal World." Katara blushed slightly at her master's praise, even as Rhyu cleared his throat.

"Then Katara and Toph can begin their training together. I'd like more time to teach Zuko by himself," the firebender decided. Zuko kept his expression as smooth as possible.

"How fares the world?" Uisce asked Awyr. The airbender shrugged, her eyes tired.

"It's blitzkrieg out there. Air raids, guerilla warfare, total war. The Fire Lord and Phoenix King are sparing no expense to ensure every last hope is defeated. There is still a rebel faction working out of Omashu but it is no match for the remaining Dai Li, who have resumed their alliance with the Fire Lord. The Northern Water Tribe is preparing for a final battle. The remaining Order of the White Lotus is going to defend the city, but they know the size of the Fire Nation fleet."

"Jikan is reconsidering, isn't he?" Cruinne asked quietly. Awyr nodded.

"Isn't that a good thing?" Toph said, glancing at the spirits' faces, each weary. Uisce shook her head.

"Our strength is tied with each Nation's benders. Rhyu grows stronger as Cruinne and Uisce weaken. I myself am a shadow of my former strength," Awyr explained, clenching a fist. "If the Fire Nation can defeat both the rebel faction and the Northern Water Tribe in less than a year, which is likely, they will have gotten too strong. At that point, only Rhyu would be capable to fight if we were needed. To prevent that, Jikan is considering sending the three of you back earlier than scheduled in an attempt to regain balance. It will be too late to save my own power, but Uisce and Cruinne will regain their strength."

"That's terrible," Katara said, her eyes wide. Awyr smiled, shrugging.

"I was crippled at the beginning of this war, but that is irrelevant. As long as I can continue to watch the outside world, that will be enough."

A heavy silence reigned over the benders as they ate.

Katara watched Zuko stand from the table and start walking towards his room. She chased after him, catching up easily.

"Hey, Zuko, can we talk?" she asked. The two had gotten closer in the year they'd lived down the hall from the other. Of course, arguments happened occasionally, but they usually resolved themselves without damaging anything. _Well, there was that one time..._ Katara mused as she led Zuko onto the patio. She sat down at the round fountain, motioning for Zuko to join her.

"So what's this about?" he asked her, his voice cautious. She smiled to herself.

"I just wanted to say... Happy Birthday." She leaned forward until their lips met. Then she jumped up and escaped to her room, leaving the banished prince alone, startled but happy.

_Wait... What?_

~Rhyu and Uisce~

"I told you that she'd make the first move," Uisce murmured to her mate. Both spirits were at their bedroom window, watching the scene unfold.

Rhyu chuckled as Zuko visibly attempted to unfreeze himself. His hand went to his mouth.

"I wonder what he'll do next..." he thought aloud. Uisce poked him in the ribs.

"Well, he's your student. What do you think he'll do next?"

"I'm not sure, but it'll be fun to watch," he grinned. Uisce laughed with him and they turned away from the window.

~The Next Morning~

Toph smirked as she sat down at the table. Her eyes were on Zuko, whose eyes were everywhere except Katara.

_Thank you, seismic sense._

With her 'sight' Toph had managed to catch most of the scene between the fire and waterbender. She had personally been rooting for Kataang, but she supposed she could support Zutara.

She smiled deviously to herself. If Sokka couldn't stand Sparky when he was Aang's teacher, how's he gonna react if he and Katara are... involved.

Either way, she regretted that she would probably be unable to witness that introduction.


	7. Chapter 7

~17 Months~

Cruinne, Rhyu, and Uisce were very proud of their apprentices. The three spirits were watching the benders spar with Awyr and a series of practice targets created by Cruinne. Even with the earthen targets to distract them, the three were steadily wearing Awyr out.

"That is enough for today," Uisce announced to the four battling. Katara took a deep breath, a small smile on her face. Toph grinned, glancing back at the rows of destroyed 'soldiers'. Zuko simply looked at his master, who nodded. Rhyu had a proud smile on his face.

"Very good," he complimented the young benders. Not that they weren't getting older; Zuko had already turned 18, just as Katara had turned 16 and Toph had turned 14.

The three had been making amazing progress. Katara mastered bloodbending, and was able to utilize it even during the day; Zuko had mastered lavabending and lightning bending; Toph had mastered metalbending, molten metalbending, and manipulating magnetic fields. Sadly, it was a good thing that they had made such incredible progress. Jikan, after consulting with Destino, had reconsidered their task. Unfortunately, his ultimate decision was to advance their deadline, taking away half a year's training.

And so, as their deadline approached, the spirits pushed their students to their limits, knowing that they'd need every moment of experience when they went back in time.

~18 Months, Exactly~

"So... How is this going to work?" Zuko asked his teacher quietly. Rhyu glanced down at his apprentice, smiling when he saw his hand, joined with the young waterbender's.

"Who cares?" Toph groaned, annoyed that she'll soon be blind once more. Katara, sensing this, put her free hand on Toph's shoulder.

"I'll drag everyone to Gaoling as soon as I can," she promised the younger girl. Toph accepted the promise before resuming her bravado.

"Of course. Twinkletoes needs someone to teach him something other than fancy splashes and fireworks," she grinned. Zuko grimaced, playing along. Katara poked the earthbender on the forehead.

"I'll miss you too, Toph," she said in her sweetest voice. Toph shuddered at the disguised malice.

The four spirits looked fondly at the three friends that had grown on them and each other in the last year and a half. This wasn't goodbye, but it seemed like it.

"Before Jikan arrives, we have gifts for each of you," Uisce said to the teenagers. Each looked up at the spirits as Rhyu stepped forward.

"Zuko of Fire, you have suffered much pain in your time and that has made you the better and the stronger of each of your enemies. Trust in your mind, and if that should fail you, trust in your heart. It will never lead you astray. However, I am no fool. If your mind and heart call for you to fight, I give you your weapon," Rhyu said, drawing a pair of dao swords. The blade was a dark grey color laced with scarlet, making it seem that the metal was aflame as it caught the light. Twisting his wrist, the spirit gently laid the weapon in his student's hands.

"These shall appear in your room when you awake after Jikan sends you back. This steel can channel your fire and lightning bending without wear, although I recommend that you try to keep it separated from lava."

Speechless at the gift, Zuko merely bowed his head as he accepted the blades that were now his. Rhyu stepped back with a wry smile as Cruinne stepped forward, grinning at his student.

"Kid," he greeted, the smile not moving from his features. Toph nodded her head in response. "So, I could say a whole load of inspiration bullshit but it really boils down to this: go kick some ass for the Earth Kingdom. But, since Uisce made me get something for you..." Cruinne tossed a pair of gloves in Toph's direction. The young earthbender caught them easily, turning them over in her hands. Her eyes were questioning when she looked back up at her teacher.

"Those gloves were made from dragon hide. They're the only thing that can handle molten metal without falling apart. And, before you ask, Zuko, the hide used was taken from a consenting dragon after her demise. To coin a phrase, no dragons were harmed in the making of these gloves." Zuko nodded appreciatively at the spirit. Cruinne nodded back, first and Zuko and then at Toph, before taking back his spot in the line of spirits. Uisce stepped forward, a gentle smile in her eyes.

"Katara, I have taught you what I know, a gift I don't entrust to many students. The last student I trusted with my knowledge was Tui, and I loved her as my own. The only thing I can give to you, just as I gave to her, is my mark, so that all will know who you are." With that, Uisce stepped forward and kissed Katara on the forehead. As the spirit backed away, a yellow crescent began to glow dully against Katara's dark skin.

The waterbender's hand went to her forehead before bowing her head to her waterbending teacher.

"Thank you, master. I will make you proud," Katara said, trying to speak around a lump that had suddenly formed in her throat. Uisce nodded fondly at her student.

"I already am," she said softly to her student. The smile didn't fade from the spirit's features, even as a dark cloud gathered above the three teenagers she had grown so fond of. A thick mist rolled in from the lake.

"Do not be afraid. All is well," a deep voice thundered from above them. Uisce and the other spirits lifted their faces to the cloud, bowing their heads in respect as an elderly man stepped down from the clouds. As his feet touched the earth, his wrinkles smoothed and his back straightened. Katara stared in wonder at the young man that now stood before her, remembering to bow her head just as he looked at her.

"You must be Katara of the Water. Your friends?" he asked, glancing at Zuko and Toph. Katara nodded meekly.

The time spirit glanced at Cruinne, Awyr, Rhyu, and Uisce before turning back to Katara.

"There is no time to lose. I know what your teachers have told you, and I will only add that much more than you think depends on your fate. Destino has seen this. That is why I'm allowing this transgression." Jikan paused, allowing it to sink in.

"Close your eyes, and wake up to an old day."

Wary but obedient, the three teenagers shut their eyes immediately. A chill crept into their bones and wind tossed their hair haphazardly.

A voice drifted into their minds.

_We shall meet again_, a chorus of voices rang out gently. Each student smiled as they recognized their master's voice among the others.


	8. Chapter 8

~Toph~

Toph opened her eyes, gasping. She blinked, trying to make sure that her eyes were truly opened. There, sitting on her bed in her own personal darkness sat the Blind Bandit, now once again deserving of that title. After nearly a year of sight, the young earthbender was sad to see it go so suddenly.

Laying back down against her pillows, Toph sighed. _Gaoling... You better get here fast, Katara._

~Zuko~

Zuko shivered in the cold, the only thing his mind seemed to be registering. He took a deep breath, allowing the air to heat up and warm himself before exhaling slowly.

The banished prince glanced around the dark steel room. His gift from Rhyu, his new dao swords, were crossed proudly, hanging from the wall. The walls were still adorned with red tapestries, as was the floor with red carpets and the bed he was laying on covered with red sheets.

Sick of his nation's color scheme, Zuko glanced out the porthole beside his bed. Slashes and strokes of dark blue broke through the startling whiteness- the only indication that the Fire Nation vessel was indeed cradled by the cold waters of the South Pole.

Zuko closed his eyes, steeling himself for the inevitable.

A sigh escaped his lips, a word he hadn't uttered aloud for a long time.

"Uncle..."

~Katara~

It took all Katara had to keep herself from hugging that sarcastic, meat-loving idiot that she called her brother to death. She hadn't fully realized just how much of herself she had lost when he hadn't returned from the airships.

But she had a mission to do, whether Sokka was aware of it or not. When Sokka had told her that he was going to go hunting, Katara leapt at the chance to accompany him, trying to behave naturally. It seemed successful, but Sokka wasn't always the brightest star in the night sky.

Katara glanced around her small tent, searching. Finding the small jar of makeup that she had only rarely used, Katara hide the yellow crescent from everyone else, knowing it would be a difficult, if not impossible, thing to explain.

Katara watched as her brother readied a spear, leaning precariously over the edge of their small canoe. A small dark fish swam alongside the boat cheerfully, reminding Katara of La, the ocean spirit's mortal form.

"It's not getting away from me this time," Sokka promised, a hungry light in his eyes as he pulled his spear back slightly. He bit his lip in concentration before glancing back at his sister. "Watch and learn, Katara."

But she was already way ahead of him.

Held suspended in the air was a bubble of water. A small fish swam in indeterminable shapes within the orb of water.

"Sokka, look!" Katara said, trying to keep the laughter out of her voice.

"Shh... You're gonna scare it away," Sokka said, still focused on his target, not sparing a glance towards his sister. "Mm, I can already smell it cooking..."

"I already caught one!" Katara insisted. She allowed the fish to swim freely, letting the water around it move as she obeyed the fish's will. Unfortunately, the fish decided to swim straight into the blunt end of Sokka's spear once again, freeing the fish back into the cold waters and dumping the water onto the boy's head.

"Hey!" he protested, looking away from his fish and to his sister, an annoyed expression gracing his features. "Why is it that everytime you play with magic water, I get soaked?" He shook himself futilely and Katara hid a smile.

"It's not magic, it's waterbending!" she shot back, twisting her hands through the air. She knew that this was probably a foolish move, but she'd rather have a dry, hungry Sokka over a wet, complaining, and hungry Sokka. With a practiced movement, she drew the water out of his clothing, dumping it safely back into the water.

"Blah blah blah, ancient culture, whatever," Sokka said, ignoring his sudden dryness. "I'm just saying that, if I had weird powers, I'd keep my weirdness to myself."

"You're calling me weird?" she said half heartedly. She searched for something to back her retort. She smirked. "I'm not the one making muscles at myself every time I see my reflection in the water."

Sokka's sly grin slipped off of his features as he looked up from the sea, a scowl growing on his face.

_Crash!_

A small ice floe collided with the hull of the canoe, sending it spinning into a current, just as it had last time. Katara was musing on the coincidence as Sokka desperately tried to regain control of the small boat. Katara helped here and there, sending chunks of ice safely out of their path without drawing attention to her subtle gestures.

When instinct told her to stop easing their path, she obeyed.

"Watch out! Go left! Go left!" she shouted, not helping her brother in the slightest as two larger chunks of ice locked the canoe in a sandwich, forcing the two to abandon ship for the safety of the floe while their boat was crushed into splinters.

"That wasn't left," she said quietly. Sokka snapped.

"Oh, so you don't like my steering? Why didn't you just waterbend us out of the ice? I knew I should have left you at home," he grumbled to himself, salvaging his spear from the ice. "Leave it to a girl to screw things up."

_Oh yes, the chauvinism returns! Sorry Sokka, I have to freak you out a bit._

"You are the most sexist, immature, nutbrain! I can't believe we're even related!" The young- even younger now- waterbender allowed the swing of her arms to carry a gentle strike to the water and ice behind her, cracking the monument of ice behind her. "I do all the work around camp-"

"Katara," Sokka whimpered. The girl carried on.

"While you've been off playing soldier! I even wash all the clothes! Do you even know what your dirty socks smell like? Not pleasant!" She swung her arms back harder, splitting the icy slope into three uneven parts as Sokka protested feebly.

"Katara, settle down!" he plead, falling onto his back as the ice fell into the water with a resounding splash.

"No!" With one final strike, Katara split the looming tower of ice into shards that crashed into the water causing a huge wave, helped to grow with a little 'magic water'. Katara huddled close to Sokka, keeping him more protected than anything, even if the young warrior thought it was the other way around.

When the water settled, Sokka looked carefully at his sister.

"Okay, you've gone from weird, to freakish Katara."

A glowing mass of ice begun to stir under the waters, slowly rising up to meet the two teenagers.

~Zuko~

"Uncle," Zuko said quietly, not quite trusting his voice. The older man looked up from his cup of tea and the icy scenery to stare at his nephew.

"Yes, Prince Zuko?" Iroh asked, his voice almost wary. Zuko sighed to himself before trying to clear his throat from the word he was about to say.

"I... I was wrong. Even if the Avatar is still alive-" _which I know he is-_ "I haven't been... fair. And I'm-"

His apology was cut off by the helmsmen, running up to him and asking for orders, pointing wildly into the distance. Zuko followed the man's frenzied hand and understood why. A blue-white beam of light cut through the sky in the distance.

_Aang._


	9. Chapter 9

~Katara~

Sokka held his spear aloft, holding Katara in a defensive position as something moved from within the shattered dome of ice.

Katara tried to wriggle free, knowing that Aang wouldn't hurt anyone. His last fight had proved that.

"Stop!" Sokka ordered as Aang stood tall, his airbender tattoos glowing brightly against the sky. The warrior tightened his grip on his spear, not lowering it even when Aang fell from the ledge of ice. Katara leapt forward to catch him before he fell, breaking away from Sokka's protective grip.

Seeing the boy in his sister's arms, Sokka poked the side of his head with the blunt end of his spear, testing the unknown boy's reactivity.

"Stop it!" Katara ordered, keeping her tone light. She leaned Aang back onto the ice, waiting for him to ask her that all important question.

The airbender opened his eyes blearily, coughing quietly.

"I need... to ask you something," he said, his voice hardly above a whisper. Katara leaned closer in anticipation.

"I need..."

"What is it?"

_3, 2, 1..._ She counted mentally.

"Will you go penguin sledding with me?" Aang asked, all serious gone from his gray eyes. Katara simply smiled as Sokka did the first face-palm of many. Katara was struck by a memory of Aang juggling for the Earth King's pet bear, Bosco.

Aang lifted himself into the air with some, as Sokka might put it, 'magic air'. Sokka leapt back, yelping as if Aang had attacked him.

"What's going on here?" Aang asked curiously.

"You tell us! How'd you get in the ice? And why aren't you frozen?" Sokka asked, pointing an accusatory finger at the young monk. Aang pushed the hand away, turning to face the ice from which he had emerged.

"I'm not sure..."

A very familiar- at least to Aang and Katara- and contented growling filled the air. Aang scurried up the slippery slope, closely followed by Katara and not so closely by Sokka.

"Appa!" the Air nomad exclaimed. When Katara and Sokka came to the peak of the ice, they were met by a strange sight: the mysterious boy in the ice, tightly hugging what appeared to be a very large gray-white mound of fur. "Are you alright? Wake up, buddy!"

Aang landed gently in front of the bison's face, trying to pry his mouth open. Appa awoke, lifting Aang into the air with his pink tongue. Aang laughed, echoed by Katara as she took in Sokka's expression.

"You're okay!" Aang shouted happily, backing away slightly as Appa stood and shook himself. Katara pushed Sokka's spear away from the bison.

"He's so furry!" Katara said, walking up to the bison without a fear in the world. Sokka had other thoughts. He thrust his arm out in front of his sister.

"Don't go near it!" he ordered, slight panic in his voice. He was repaid as Appa sneezed, shooting some not-so-pleasant green goo his way. The warrior established his opinion of the situation through various sounds and trying to wipe the slime onto the ice.

"Ugh!" Sokka protested, kneeling. Aang, who had been busy petting Appa's dense fur, looked up at the two.

"So, do you guys live around here?" Aang was rewarded with a spear inches from his nose.

"Don't answer that!" Sokka ordered to Katara. "Did you see that crazy bolt of light? He was probably trying to signal the Fire Nation!"

"Yes, he's a Fire Navy spy. How did I miss _that_? Katara asked sarcastically, stepping around her brother to look at Aang directly. "I'm Katara and that is my brother, Sokka. What's your name?" _Aang_, she answered herself.

"Oh, I'm A-a-a-aaa-aa-achoo!" The boy sneezed, shooting himself fifteen feet into the air. He landed on a sloping mound of ice, sliding back to his former location with ease. "I'm Aang," he finished.

"You- you just _sneezed _and flew ten feet into the air!" Sokka said, shocked. Aang looked up curiously.

"Really? It felt higher than that."

Katara forced herself to gasp in surprise.

"You're an _airbender_!"

Appa hit the water with a solid splash. Katara smiled, remembering that Sokka expected a flight.

"Wow, that was truly amazing," Sokka said in a monotone. He tactfully ignored the glare he received from his younger sister.

~Toph~

"Toph!" A worried voice shouted. The young earthbender turned to her mother, knowing exactly what the woman had to say. "You know your father and I don't like you walking around outside without a guard. What if you get lost? Kidnapped? What if-"

"Mother, I was _fine_," Toph exaggerated. "I was just in the gardens, and I know them by heart!"

But the woman would not listen to reason.

Toph sighed at the uniformity of this argument. She couldn't wait for the next earthbending tournament.


	10. Chapter 10

~Katara~

"Aang, this is the entire village," Katara introduced, pulling Aang, glider in hand, into the village's central area. "Entire village, this is Aang."

Aang bowed politely to the Southern Water Tribe and Katara was sad to see the women pull their children closer, wary of the newcomer.

"Why are they all looking at me like that?" Aang asked Katara cautiously. Kanna stepped forward.

"Well, no one has seen an airbender in a hundred years. We thought they were extinct, until my granddaughter and grandson found you."

"Extinct?"

"Aang, this is my grandmother," introduced Katara.

"Call me Gran-Gran," the woman in question responded dully. Sokka, who had been watching from the sidelines, stepped forward and pulled the glider out of Aang's hands.

"What is this, a weapon? You can't stab anything with this..." Sokka investigated the wooden staff curiously. Aang laughed.

"It's not for stabbing; it's for airbending," he chuckled, pulling the glider back into his own hands with a whoosh of air. Aang shook the staff gently, pulling the wings of the glider out into the open.

"Magic trick!" one of the children giggled. "Do it again!"

"Not magic, airbending! It lets me control the air currents around my glider and fly," Aang explained, angling the open glider in his hands to show the kids how he'd manipulate it.

"You know, last time I checked, humans can't fly!" Sokka said, crossing his arms over his chest. Aang grinned lopsidedly, gripping his glider.

"Check again!" he challenged before jumping straight up and into the air. Once up, he bended the wind around him, holding himself up as he twisted through the air.

"That's amazing!" one of the little kids said in a muffled tone. Aang smiled broadly down at the village as he sailed through the air, straight into Sokka's watch tower.

Sokka stumbled forward, shock and praying to repair the damage done to his precious tower. He ran up, patting the cold wall, as Katara pulled Aang onto his feet.

"Great, you're an airbender, Katara's a waterbender, together you can just waste time all day long," Sokka grumbled, pulling himself from the ground after a rather large pile of snow collapsed onto him. Aang, taking in the new information, looked at Katara with admiration.

"You're a waterbender!"

"Well, sort of."

"Alright, enough playing. Come on, Katara, there's work to be done."

Katara followed Aang to the otter-penguins' ground. The young airbender was futilely trying to catch one of the animals, but had no luck as of yet.

"Hey, come on, little guy," he laughed to the otter-penguins. "Wanna go sledding?" After falling onto his face, Aang stood and smiled, only now noticing Katara's presence. "I have a way with animals."

"Aang, I'll help you catch a penguin if you- never mind," Katara said, knowing it'd get the boy's attention.

"What?"

"It's just... I really want to learn waterbending, but there aren't any other waterbenders in my village. I'm the only one."

"So what about the Northern Water Tribe? Don't they have benders?"

"Yeah, but we haven't communicated with them in years. We aren't exactly neighbors; they're on the other side of the world."

"Are you forgetting, I have a flying bison. Appa and I can fly you to the North Pole."

"Really?"

"On one condition," Aang said, grinning. "You help me catch an otter-penguin."

Katara drew a small fish from her pocket, placed there specifically for this purpose.

"Listen carefully, my young pupil. Otter-penguin catching is an ancient and sacred art. Observe." She flashed the fish, drawing hordes of otter-penguins to her. She tossed the fish to Aang. The otter-penguins followed the fish, crowding Aang until he was buried by a mound of four-flippered and whiskered penguins.

~Zuko~

"Very good," Iroh complemented, seeing his nephew flawlessly perform an exercise he had struggled with only yesterday.

"The Avatar's had a hundred years to master the elements... Uncle, I will need to learn the next set," Zuko said calmly, even though he already had it mastered. Iroh smiled.

"Very well, Prince Zuko," he nodded before pausing. "But only _after _I finish my roast duck."

The overweight man sat down with a clay bowl of duck and rice, wolfing it down as if he were starving.

~Katara~

This time, she led him to the Fire Navy ship on purpose. That was her plan, her rendezvous point with Zuko, something the two had decided upon before Jikan had appeared.

She let him lead the way, knowing that his curiosity would get the better of him yet again. She answered his questions, adding in her own speculations, things that she knew for a fact, such as his chronological age and the existence of the war, something he still seemed to deny.

"Come on, this place creeps me out," Katara said, trying to remember where the booby trap was so that she could set it off. Her foot caught on something- wire?- and a metal grate fell from the door, locking them inside. Katara heard the flare being shot off and smiled mentally.

"What's that you said about booby traps?" Aang said, his hands gripping the cold metal locking them inside.

"Back up... More... More," Katara said. She'd have to swing wide, but she wanted to do this herself. Her hands danced through the air as she lifted the snow from the ground, freezing it into a solid and rather sharp whip of ice. She let it swing wide, careful not to hit Aang, and sliced the door to pieces. She grabbed Aang's hand, rushing him out.

"We need to get back."

~Zuko~

Looking out onto the landscape, he spotted a slash of light. He focused first his eyes, then his spyglass, onto the brightness before smiling.

Katara had done it.

He could see her, _his _Katara, leading Aang back to the Southern Water Tribe in a hurry.

Zuko briefly wondered what his Uncle would think if he knew where his nephew's thoughts were centered on. Mostly on the necklace he hadn't yet given, but also on that precise shade of blue Katara's eyes took one when she smiled.

~Katara/Zuko~

Everything was going to plan. Aang was banished but soon to return. Sokka and 'the men' were readying for battle. Katara, after somehow convincing Sokka to let her make the walls taller, was doing just that, trying to give as little away as possible by doing the task almost painfully slow.

When Sokka had emerged from the tent, his face painted for battle, she had finished as much as she was going to do. Any more than she did and it'd be harder for Zuko to go into the village without actually breaking anything.

That was another part of their plan. Instead of crashing through the village's outer wall and storming the village, Zuko would be taking a more diplomatic route, leaving the ship anchored in the bay just outside of the village and coming with only Iroh and one other firebender.

"They stopped!" Sokka reported from his vantage point on the wall. "Someone's coming out! Looks like... Three?"

_Yes, Sokka, that's right_, Katara smiled to herself before ushering people further into the village.

"If they wanted trouble they would have rammed into the wall. Let's just see what they want first," Katara said, trying to appease the other women of the tribe. Once the older women and children were further from the wall, Katara joined her brother at the wall.

"What are you doing? Get back inside! This is too dangerous," Sokka protested hotly. Katara waved her hand, freezing his lips together. She glanced back at him and took an apologetic stance.

"I'm sorry! I didn't mean to! Besides, if they wanted to attack us, they would have been less polite. Let's just see what they want before we start a fight."

"They're the ones starting fights," Sokka grumbled.

"Hush." Katara watched as they drew closer. She could recognize Zuko easily. His hair was just a short little tuft, so much so that Katara assumed that he had cut it in favor of growing it out fully. _That looked good on him..._

Iroh was just as easily recognizable by his unique hairstyle and round stomach. He seemed happy, but Katara wasn't sure why. That left the last firebender, who she had recommended Zuko bring for the first encounter. Three was a better number than two in terms of strategizing. It showed that, though they could fight, and likely win, they had no wish to.

Katara, much to Sokka's annoyance, kept an arm tightly around the former's waist as Zuko paused outside of the village before climbing the stairs cut into the snow wall.

"Can we help you?" Katara asked politely, grinning when out of Sokka's peripheral vision. Zuko bowed politely.

"I'd like an audience with the leader of the village," Zuko said, equally polite.

"That's me," Sokka cut in abrasively. Katara sighed, shushing him.

"No one person has control over the village at the moment, but most affairs are handled by myself, my brother, and our grandmother if you don't mind speaking to all three of us."

"And you are?" Iroh asked Katara curiously. He had seen, and recognized, the look in Zuko's eyes when he caught sight of the water tribe girl. Yes, Iroh was very curious.

"My name is Katara. This is my brother, Sokka, and our grandmother, Kanna, is waiting in the village with the rest of the tribe."

Iroh nodded appraisingly, deciding that, for one reason or another, he liked this girl. Judging from the bitter look on the brother's face and how tightly Katara had wrapped her arm around him, she was keeping him restrained. Iroh analyzed this. The bitterness on the brother's face was probably reminiscent of another Fire Nation visit. Katara's manner of speaking was calm and polite, hinting at intelligence and political training, even though that was unlikely.

"Sokka, let Gran-Gran and I handle this one. Judging from the number of men sent here and the size of that ship, they could easily overpower us but they don't want to. With that in mind, I'm open to a diplomatic solution," Katara said, her voice building from a whisper to normal volume as she spoke directly to Zuko.

"By the way, I don't believe I caught your names," Katara said, wanting to see Sokka's reaction. Judging from the well-disguised withering glance, Zuko didn't find it as amusing as she did.

"Prince Zuko of the Fire Nation. This is my uncle, General Iroh," he answered, a false calm taking over his facade as Sokka's look turned from bitterness to rage. Taking this in as well, Katara pushed him in the general direction of the village.

"Sokka, why don't you tell the rest of the village that the Fire Nation is here peacefully? With all due respect, Prince Zuko, my people are not very used to cordiality from visitors."

"I understand," Zuko said neutrally as Sokka trudged away.


	11. Chapter 11

"So you came here looking for the Avatar?" Kanna said warily. Zuko nodded, just as cautious.

"In a way. While it is true that I've been searching for the Avatar for the better part of three years, I've recently decided to change my reasons. When you are born in the Fire Nation, you are trained from an early age to believe that this war is right. After spending as much time out of the Fire Nation as I have, I began to question that. I had originally left the Fire Nation with the intent to bring the Avatar back to my father. Now I'd rather help him end this war than start a new chapter in it."

"Why would we help you?" Katara asked easily. "We have a monument to what the Fire Nation as a whole has done to our people. My people have been raided, our benders kidnapped, and our families bruised and broken."

"You-" The nameless firebender was silenced with a wave of Zuko's hand.

"She's suffered at the hands of the Fire Nation just like the rest of the world. All we can do is ask her to overlook that."

"Thank you," Katara nodded at him. "If you really want to help the Avatar end this war, I have no issues with that. But, since we have no certifiable proof that you really do want to end this war, I'd ask that I join you and Aang before you leave for the North Pole."

Kanna looked reasonably shocked at her granddaughter's proclamation. The little girl she had raised since Kya's death had somehow grown up without her noticing.

"You want to come?" Zuko asked easily. Katara nodded determinedly.

"I do. I speak only for myself at this point, but it has been too long since we spoke with our sister tribe. Also, as you know, there is a lack of waterbenders in the Southern Water Tribe that I can learn from."

"You're a bender?" Zuko said, sounding perfectly surprised. Katara waved her hand, summoning water from a jug sitting on a table across the room. She sent the water through the air before freezing it, dropping the icicles inches from the firebenders.

"Katara!" Kanna gasped at her granddaughter's actions. Katara smiled at her grandmother.

"I've been working on it."

"Katara?" A new voice asked. Katara looked up at the doorway.

"Hello, Aang," Katara said, smiling at the young airbender. Aang glanced towards Zuko almost warily before focusing back on the waterbender.

"What's going on?"

"Prince Zuko and I were just talking," Katara began.

"Just call me Zuko," the firebender interrupted. Katara nodded, acknowledging his request and smirking to herself all the while.

"Zuko and I were just talking. Aang," she paused, letting her voice grow quiet. "Why didn't you tell us that you were the Avatar?"

"I never wanted to be," he said, still standing at the doorway, his eyes downcast.

"Fair enough. But you are the Avatar. And there is a war going on," Zuko said seriously. Iroh glanced between his nephew, the Avatar, and the young woman who had seemingly caught his nephew's eye.

"According to legend, you need to master first water, then earth, and then fire, right?" Katara asked rhetorically. "We don't have anyone that can teach you waterbending though, so Zuko offered to take both of us to the North Pole so you can master waterbending."

"We can learn it together!" Aang smiled, standing a little straighter. Katara grinned.

"Then it's-" _Apparently not settled,_ Katara thought to herself as Sokka burst into the tent, red with anger.

"Oh no, my little sister isn't going anywhere with a bunch of Fire Nation!" he roared. Katara only laughed.

"Do you want to come, too? I'm sure that there will be less polite Fire Nation soldiers that you can protect me from," the teenager chuckled. Sokka crossed his arms, obviously not liking the fact that his little sister was going anywhere. "What? You don't want to knock some firebenders' heads along the way?"

"I'd like that, just not..." Katara interpreted his silence correctly.

"I won't be in any danger," she promised. Zuko chuckled.

"I'm sure your sister is capable of defending herself," _plus I'm going to be looking out for her_, he finished mentally. Sokka didn't look appeased. Katara smiled, standing before wrapping her arms around her brother.

"I'll be fine. Are you coming or not?"

"Fine," he grumbled. Katara leaned over and kissed him on the cheek, making him cringe away.

"Katara!" An old woman's voice rang out. Katara turned, surprised to see Kanna walking towards her at a brisk pace.

"Gran-Gran! What's wrong?" They were set to leave for the ship any moment. Katara and Sokka had just finished packing and were in the process of moving their belongings and supplies onto the ship.

"You are destined for great things, Katara..." Kanna said, her voice a little breathy. The old woman smiled and raised a hand to Katara's forehead, brushing away the concealer with a swipe of her thumb, exposing the yellow crescent to the air. "Just don't forget where you came from."

"I won't," Katara promised, more than a little startled that her grandmother knew of the mark. Still wondering what else the old woman knew, Katara was forced to say her goodbyes quickly before following after the others to Zuko's ship.


End file.
